Although the PlayStation 4 drew most of the attention at E3 2013, Sony’s other systems had a few highlights of their own. The PlayStation 3 boasted Gran Turismo 6 and Beyond: Two Souls. Meanwhile, the PlayStation Vita, which will be integrated with the PlayStation 4, has at least two big games on the docket.

The first is Tearaway, the latest title from LittleBigPlanet creator Media Molecule. It’s a game that breaks the fourth wall as fans control a character called the Messenger who is trying to deliver a letter to you, the player. To be more specific, the missive is what makes up the Messenger’s head.

Much like Patapon, you are a deity to the people of Tearaway. Players even appear in the papercrafted sun via the Vita’s front-facing camera. It’s a novel way to use the platform and indicative of Media Molecule effort to fill the game with thoughtful gameplay innovations tailored to the system.

INNOVATIVE GAMEPLAY: The best example of that is the how the team uses the rear touchpad. By touching the back of the Vita, players can interact with the world ripping into the diaphanous white paper on the screen. It’s a magical effect as the system also uses the rear camera to also capture the shadows of your fingers moving beneath the handheld. Punching a hole in the world, your fingers can move objects to create a bridge or help defeat enemies. On the front of the touch screen, fans can open curtains or press down objects. (They just have to look for the fingerpint markings on an object.) It’s a versatile tool for puzzle-solving and combat.

The Messenger itself can traverse the world and collect confetti, which is used as part of the in-game economy. The paper scraps can be used to customize the character and parts of the world. The relationship between the Messenger and player almost makes it feel co-op in a way. It’s a buddy game.

YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN PAPER TROPHIES: Lead designer Rex Crowle said the designers used virtual paper to build the world and its three themed regions. The goal was to create a game that you could make in real-life using paper, he said. “We want to inspire you to build things in the real world.” And to that effect, the game will have trophies that players can print out and build themselves using scissors and glue. That certainly fulfills that craft ethos that Media Molecule projects tend to have.

And for those wondering if Tearaway will support different skin tones and genders, yes it will. The game asks questions about you. Depending on those answers, it will have an effect on how you appear in the game world, making that immersion deeper. If you have stubby fingers like myself, they’ll appear that way. If you have slender ladylike fingers with painted nails, I suppose they’ll cover that, too. I’m still not sure about Lana Kane hands though …

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GAME ON THE VITA: The other title I saw was the most beautiful created on the Vita. Killzone: Mercenary shows what kind of power the handheld has. Developed by Guerrilla Cambridge, Mercenary puts players in the shoes of Arran Danner, a gun for hire, around the time of the original game. In this spinoff, the structure of the game is different as everything is money-driven and players can fight alongside the ISA or Helghast.

Every time a player eliminates a target, Danner gets paid money no matter if he is the single-player campaign or multiplayer mode. Those funds are used to buy new weapons, which can be added to loadouts in both modes. With that in mind, the game is built with replayability in mind. It features a nine-mission campaign with each chapter taking 40 minutes to an hour to complete. In addition, there are different contract types to take and that requires different gear each time. Sometimes players may want to go stealth; other times they’ll opt for the heavy firepower.

MULTIPLAYER MODE: On the multiplayer side, Mercenary features six maps and matches that go up to four versus four. Players can go at it in free for all, team deathmatch or warzone, which is a mix of several different game types.

The last thing to note is that Mercenary has weapons that take advantage of the touchscreen. One of those is the Porcupine Missile, which is fired by tapping people on the touchscreen. It’s a powerful weapon and just scratches the number of creative firearms in the title.

Tearaway for the PlayStation Vita is scheduled for release this year. Killzone: Mercenary is set to head out to fans in September.

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